Row over gay age of consent

Religious leaders and family campaigners were today appealing to the Government to halt their plans to lower the gay age of consent.

The Government's Bill lowering the age from 18 to 16 is expected to become law today, despite the fact that the House of Lords has rejected the move. But in a letter to The Daily Telegraph, Christian and Muslim leaders joined family values campaigners in a last-ditch bid to halt the Bill.

The 17 signatories include the Most Rev George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Winning, head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, the Most Rev Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster and leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, and Yousof Bhailok, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain.

"There are strong moral and health objections to what is proposed, which also goes against the beliefs of many religious people - Christians,

Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs," it reads.

Other signatories include Baroness Young, family values campaigner and Conservative ex-leader of the Lords, who has led opposition to the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, at every stage.

She said it was "a constitutional outrage" that the Government was using the Parliament Acts to steamroller the Bill into law.

She is furious that Home Secretary Jack Straw is to use his powers to enact the Bill overriding a Lords decision earlier this month, to retain the ban on anal sex up to the age of 18.

The Parliament Act allows the Government to present a Bill for Royal Assent if it has been rejected in the Lords in one parliamentary session, and has not been approved by peers by the end of the second session.

Lady Young, earlier this year, had led the successful defence of Section 28 banning the intentional "promotion" of homosexuality in schools in England and Wales.

But the Government confirmed in the Lords last week, that the gay age of consent Bill would not complete its Lords stages before going for Royal Assent.